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Life at ECSU provides a range of experiences that are invaluable to your academic and personal growth. Our students come from different places and backgrounds, but together they create a diverse, close-knit community that seeks to create a better world.

drugs and Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Education Program

Elizabeth City State University Counseling and Testing Center/Special Needs Services
and Athletics. Know Your Choices: Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Education Program

This webpage was created as part of a National Collegiate Athletic Association CHOICES
grant awarded to Elizabeth City State University’s Counseling and Testing/Special
Needs Services and Athletics. The grant was awarded during the 2013-2016 academic
years. Elizabeth City State University’s program was called “Know Your Choices: Alcohol
Abuse Prevention and Education Program. The objectives of the program are as follows:

To develop and engage students in alcohol-free events

To provide workshops/educational experiences for students regarding alcohol and related
issues

To develop a marketing campaign that addresses alcohol use and related issues

To develop a Choices peer education program

Why is it important to address alcohol use on our campus?

We all know that Elizabeth City State University is a dry campus; however, the reality
is students are drinking on and off campus. It is the policy of the University that
no alcoholic beverages are consumed on campus.

If you are of legal age, 21 years of age, you may decide to drink off campus. If you
are under 21 and drinking, not only are you in violation of ECSU’s policy, you are
in violation of state law. Regardless of your age, we want you to have the information
and resources needed so that you may “Know Your Choices”.

Student Volunteers/mentors are needed for the program: For more information, contact
Ms. Fox at Counseling and Testing/Special Needs Services, Griffin Building, Suite
500 or call 252.335.3273

Alcohol Basics: (What you will learn)

Brief history of alcohol

How alcohol is classified

How alcohol impacts the body

The defintion of a standard drink

Where to get help.

History

Alcohol has been around for centuries. It is uncertain as to when alcohol was first
used; however, there are well documented uses of alcohol over the ages. For example,
was used and still is used in religious and secular ceremonies. It was used for medicinal
purposes; it was used as an antiseptic and as an anesthetic. It also was brewed by
monks and others when it was discovered in the middle ages that people did not get
sick from drinking beer like they did when they drank the water. It was later discovered
that people became ill from contaminated water supplies.

The impact of alcohol on the body.

Some may think alcohol is a stimulant because they feel more animated and alive when
they first start to drink. In essence they feel they are “loosening” up a bit. However,
alcohol is a depressant. After a certain amount of alcohol is in your blood stream,
alcohol begins to act as depressant, slowing your respiration (breathing) and slowing
down the areas of your brain that are responsible for motor coordination, speech as
well as the parts of your brain responsible for sound judgment and memory.

What is a standard drink?

A standard drink is determined by the amount of alcohol in a given drink and it is
not determined by the size of the container in which the drink is held.

A standard drink is any drink that contains about 14 grams of pure alcohol (about
0.6 fluid ounces or 1.2 tablespoons). Below are standard drink equivalents as well
as the number of standard drinks in different container sizes for each beverage. These
are approximate, as different brands and types of beverages vary in their actual alcohol
content.

Why is it important to know about standard drinks?

Knowing about standard drinks will help you gauge how much you are drinking. Of course,
you must keep in mind the type of alcohol or “spirits” you are consuming, the mixed
drink and the amount. As you can see in the chart above, one mixed drink can be one
or more standard drinks and, one 16 ounce can of malt beer is 2 standard drinks as opposed to one 16 ounce can of beer which is approximately
1.3 standard drinks.

If you drink 4 ounces of Tequila that is 40% alcohol, you will consume approximately
2.6 standard drinks.

Formula: ______ounces X % alcohol divided by .6

Note: .6 equals one standard drink unit of pure alcohol.

If you are a 140 pound woman, your Blood Alcohol Concentration will be anywhere between
.05 and .08 after one hour. Blood alcohol concentration is the amount of alcohol in
the blood.

For more information about standard drinks and Blood Alcohol Concentration, go to
the Interactive Bar at the webpage indicated below. Before you go, remember, you should never drink and
drive and do not use the charts or webpage to determine if it is safe for you to drive.

Do I have a drinking problem? Does my friend or family member have a drinking problem?

People may not recognize whether or not they have a problem with alcohol or any other
substance for that matter. In some instances, the problem seems to evolve and take
over without warning. People may become angry when someone brings up drinking/substance
use as a problem. Take a confidential alcohol use screening at the website below.
Of course, this information is for you to start thinking about the concern and it
does not replace an assessment from a qualified healthcare provider.